The Seedskadee Project is a water resources development project of the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation. The project focuses on the upper
Green River Green River may refer to:
Rivers
Canada
*Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River
*Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte
*Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
in western
Wyoming, storing the river's waters in
Fontenelle Reservoir
Fontenelle Reservoir is an artificial reservoir located in southwest Wyoming. It lies almost entirely within Lincoln County, although the east end of the Fontenelle Dam and a tiny portion of the reservoir are actually in northwestern Sweetwater ...
. The project is associated with the
Colorado River Storage Project, retaining the waters of the Green for use in the upper Colorado Basin. Water held behind
Fontenelle Dam, built from 1961 to 1968, is used for hydroelectric power generation and industrial use. The reservoir supports recreational use.
As originally conceived, the Seedskadee Project was planned to provide irrigation water for the high desert of western Wyoming. Authorized in 1956 with other elements of the Colorado River Storage Project, construction of the irrigation elements of the project were suspended in 1962 for study of the economics of high-altitude irrigation. The Seedskadee Development Farm was established as a pilot operation to explore irrigation methods in cooperation with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
University of Wyoming. As it became apparent that potential crops were limited to livestock fodder, precluding high-value crops that could provide a high return on investment, the attractiveness of irrigation faded. The farm operated until 1972 and has not operated since.
The project chiefly protects Wyoming's water rights and provides water to mining and power generation activities in the
Green River, Wyoming area.
See also
*
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, established to mitigate wildlife habitat loss resulting from the construction of the Fontenelle Reservoir and
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge Reservoir is the largest reservoir in Wyoming, on the Green River, impounded behind the Flaming Gorge Dam. Construction on the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir stores of water when measured at an elev ...
References
External links
Seedskadee Projectat the Bureau of Reclamation
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Colorado River Storage Project
Lincoln County, Wyoming
Sweetwater County, Wyoming
Irrigation Districts of the United States
United States Bureau of Reclamation